Coin-controlled playing-card holder



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' J. GOUPAL 8a L. E. GRAY.;

v COIN CONTROLLED PLAYING CARD HOLDER. No. 573,810. Patented Dec. 22, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH COUPAL, OF WINCHESTER, AND LUKE E. GRAY, or BOSTON, MASSA- OHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD To JOSEPH OOUPAL, TRUSTEE, or WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

COIN-CONTROLLED PLAYING-CARD HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters latent- No. 573,810, dated December 22, 1896.

Application filed April 16, 1896.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOSEPH COUPAL, of \Vinchester, in the county of Middlesex, and LUKE E. GRAY, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ooi n- Controlled Playing-Card Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a coin-controlled apparatus for holding playing-cards and for delivering the same to users who have deposited a coin in the machine, the arrangement being such that upon the insertion of a coin a holder containing a pack of cards is unlocked from the casing of the machine, so that it can be drawn outward by the operator, while upon the return of the holder with the pack of cards contained in it into the casing the holder is locked and a second coin deposited in the machine with the coin which caused the unlocking of the holder is delivered to the operator, who is thus given an inducement to return the cards to their proper place, the said second coin setting the apparatus so that the next coin inserted will unlock the card-holder.

The invention consists in the improvements which we will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of our improved card holding and delivering machine. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same and the card-holder moved outwardly from the casin g. Fig. 3 represents a sectional view of the casing on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and a front elevation of the mechanism within the casing. Fig. 4 represents a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6 (3 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 represents a view of the rear or inner side of the card-holder. Fig. 4 represents certain parts seen in Fig. 4; and Fig. 5 represents certain parts seen in Fig. 5, the parts being shown in a different relation than in said Figs. 4. and 5.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, (0 represents a casing hav- Serial No. 587,750. (No model.)

ing a coin-receiving slot a in its upper portion.

b Z2 represent two coin-chutes, and b a mouth common to both chutes. In said mouth is a deflector 6 which is pivoted at b and is adapted to stand in the two positions shown in full and dotted lines in Fig. 4. hen in the full-line position, its upper portion is adapted to guide a coin toward the chute b, the coin after passing below the pivot 19 turning the deflector to the dotted-line position, so that the next coin will be guided toward the chute b.

0 represents a lever which is pivoted at 0 to a fixed bracket 0 and projects through a slot into the chute b, to be actuated by a coin descending through said chute. Said lever is connected by a link 0 to the upper end of a gravity-actuated bolt 0 which enters a slotted ear 0 on the back side of a movable holder 0 said bolt normally locking the holder in position. The holder is formed to contain a pack 19 of playing-cards, and is pivoted at c to the casing, so that when released by the bolt 0 it can swing out from the front of the casing, as shown in Fig. 2, to permit access to the pack 29.

(Z is a rock-shaft mounted in bearings on the back side of the supporting-plate d and provided with a dog (1 which is held by a 8c weight (I in position to press against the bolt 0 lVhen a coin is dropped in the chute b, it depresses the lever c, causing the latter to raise the bolt 0 until the dog d engages a notch (Z formed in said bolt, and locks the latter in a raised position, thus allowing the card-holder c to be pulled forward by the operator.

To partially project the pack of cards from the holder when it is swung forward, we provide a bar 6, sliding in suitable guides e on the back of the card-holder and formed with a notch at its upper 'end, which engages a spring-actuated dog 6 Said bar is bent to project through a slot into the card-holder 5 across the lower end of the pack and is pressed upward by a spring a when the dog e is displaced, the spring e being supported by a block 6 secured to the under side of the cardholder. The dog e is pivoted at e to ears on I00 the back of the card-holder c and has a hook which engages a notch in the sliding bar a, as shown in Fig. 5. To the dog 6 is affixed an arm 6", which is arranged to strike a springtongue e secured to a fixed support in the casing, when the card-holder c is pulled forward. lVhen the arm 6 strikes the tongue 6 said arm and the dog 6 are displaced from their normal position, in which they are held by a spring e the dog being thus caused to release the bar 6, which is then thrown upward by the spring a and partially projects the pack 1) from the holder, so that it can be readily grasped. \Vhen the card-holder is moved inwardly, the spring-tongue 6' yields to permit the arm 6 to pass by it. Vhen the pack is returned to the holder and pressed forcibly downward, it depresses the bar 6 until the latter is again locked by the dog e Mechanism is provided, as next described, to release the bolt 0 and cause it to lock the card-holder when the cards have been replaced in the holder and pressed into the casmg.

fis a block having ears f f sliding in guides f f, affixed to the back of the cardholder 0 and arranged to project through an opening in the back of the card-holder and bear against the back of the pack of cards, said block having a stud or projection f which bears against a pin f sliding in a bracket f fastened to the back of the casin g Ct.

As before'stated, the bolt 0 is raised by the actionof a coin and locked in that position by the dog (P. The bolt remains locked while the card-holder is pulled forward and until it has reached nearly the limit of its backward movement, and is then released by the pressure of the pack against the block f through the following intermediate devices: g is a lever pivoted at g to a bracket f and provided with an adj usting-screw g and normally held in the position shown in Fig. 5 by a spring 9 To the 'upper end of the lever g is pivoted an arm g, which rests against a stud or pin 9 affixed to the dog d lVhen the card-holder is forced inwardly, the pack of cards bearing against the block f moves the latter inwardly, said block moving the pin f which swings the lever g on its pivot, thus causing the arm g to move forward and move the rock-shaft (I, through the stud g sufliciently to disengage the dog (Z from the bolt 0 whereupon the bolt drops into the ear 0 and locks the card-holder.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the defiectorb is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 and'a coin is dropped into the slot a the coin will first move the deflector to the dotted-line position, and will then enter the chute I), unlock the card holder, and drop to the bottom of the casing, leaving the deflector in positionto obstruct the chute b and deflect the next coin toward the chute b. There is nothing in the chute b to cooperate with a coin in unlocking the Consequently it is necessaryto card-holder.

return the deflector b to the full-line position shown in Fig. 45 before the holder can be again unlocked by a coin. This is accomplished by the insertion of a second coin in the slot ct immediately after the first, the second coin being deflected by the deflector Z) toward the chute I) while the deflector is in its dotted-line position, and then turning the deflector back to its full-line position, so that it is ready to admit the next coin to the chute b. The second coin is arrested in the chute b bya detent (Z secured to an arm (1, which is affixed to the rock-shaft cl. When the bolt 0 is depressed to lock the card-holder,

the dog (1 bears on the side of the bolt and 4 is held thereby, so that the rock-shaft cl, arm (1*, and detent (Z occupy the position shown in Fig. 4, the detent being out of the chute cl;

but when the bolt 0 is raised by the action of a coin on the lever c the dog (1 moves into the notch (1 in the bolt, the position of the rock-shaft (Z, arm (1*, and detent (1 being thus changed sufficiently to cause the detent to enter the chute b, as shown in Fig. 4, and arrest a coin therein. This change of position of the detent takes place before the second coin reaches the point where the detent is located. Hence the second coin is arrested and held in the chute 1) until the bolt 0 is released by the inward movement of the cardholder and the cards therein, as above de-' scribed, the detent being withdrawn from the chute b and caused to release the coin when the cards have been returned to the casing;

The lower end of the chute b communicates with a pocket 71, on the exterior of the casing,

the released second coin entering said pocket and being exposed therein, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3, so that it can be removed by the operator. It will be seen, therefore, that the first coin unlocks the cardholder and at the same time turns the deflector so that the card-holder cannot be IIO again unlocked until a second coin has been locking-bolt c and the second coin, namely,

the sliding block f, rod f screw 9 lever g, and arm g*, is capable of such fine adjustment that it will not operate to release the second coin unless the thickness of the entire pack of cards is interposed between the front of the card-holder and the block f, the screw g being adjustable to suit the thickness of the pack.

70 represents an indicator of ordinary con struction, adapted to be operated by a ratchet 7t and a pawl 70 carried by the lever g;

The chute b may be considered the primary,

and the chute b the secondary, chutej lVe claim 1. A machine of the character specified, comprising a casing having a coin-slot, a coinchute therein, a card-holder pivoted to the casing, and a holder locking and unlocking mechanism which is operated by a coin in said chute to unlock the holder and permit its withdrawal from the chute and by a pack of cards in the holder to lock the holder when the latter is returned to the casing.

A machine of the character specified, comprising a casing having a coin-slot, a coinchute therein, a card-holder pivoted to the casing, a coin-controlled holder-unlocking mechanism, and a pack-projecting mechanism operated by the outward movement of the holder.

3. A machine of the character specified, comprising a casing havinga coin-slot, a coinchute therein, a card-holder pivoted to the casing, a coin controlled holder -unlocking mechanism, a spring-pressed bar movable in the holder to project a pack ofcards therefrom, and a detent Which locks said bar in its retracted position and is arranged to be displaced by the outward movement of the holder.

4. A machine of the character specified, comprising a casing having a coin-slot, a coinchute therein, a card-holder pivoted to the casing, a coin-controlled holder locking and unlocking mechanism which is operated by a coin in said chute to unlock the holder and includes a movable block or part projecting into the card-holder and adapted to be moved by pressure exerted through a pack of cards therein to lock the holder.

5. A machine of the character specified, comprising a casing having a coin-slot-, a coinchute therein, a card-holder pivoted to the casing, a gravity locking-bolt adapted to normally lock the card-holder, a lever in the coinchute connected with said bolt and adapted to be operated by a coin to retract the bolt,

a detent adapted to secure the bolt in its retracted position, a movable block or partpr0 jecting into the card-holder and adapted to receive pressure through a pack of cards, and connections between said block and detent whereby motion is communicated from the block to the detent to release the bolt and lock the card-holder.v

6. A coin-controlled card holding and delivering machine comprising a casing, a cardholder movable therein, two coin-chutes in the casing, a holder-locking device controlled by a coin in one chute, a pivoted deflector whereby two coins inserted successively are caused to enter different chutes, means for locking the holder to the casing by pressure through a pack of cards, and means operated by such pressure to release one of the coins.

7. A machine of the character specified, comprising a casing, a primary and a secondary coin-chute therein, one delivering within the casing and the other at the exterior thereof, a holder movable in the casing, a deflector whereby the first of two coins inserted in the casing is guided into the primary chute and the second into the secondary chute, a holder movable in the casing and normally locked therein, a holder-unlocking device operated by a coin in the primary chute, a detent operated by the unlocking of the holder to arrest a coin in the secondary chute, and a mechanism operated by the replacement of the holder in the casing to displace the detent and release the coin from the secondary chute.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 10th day of April, A. D. 1896,

JOSEPH OOUPAL. LUKE E. GRAY. \Vitnesses A. D. HARRISON, A. D. ADAMS. 

